9838933

Standardized Inter-Base Station Reporting of Pilot Contamination for Improved Pilot Resource Re-Use

PublishedDecember 5, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Patent Claims
20 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A system for improving performance in a MaMi (Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)) communication network, the system comprising a first Base Station (BS 1 ) in network communication with a first User Equipment (UE 1 ), wherein at least one of the BS 1 and the UE 1 are configured to detect possible pilot channel contamination of the UE 1 and, in response to detecting the possible pilot channel contamination, the BS 1 is configured to transmit to the UE 1 a request to forego transmission during a next frame designated for transmitting a pilot signal; and a plurality of second Base Stations (BS 2 ) that neighbor the BS 1 and are in network communication with one or more second User Equipment (UE 2 ), wherein, BS 1 is further configured to (i) determine within the next frame if one or more of the UE 2 s are transmitting on a same channel as a pilot channel of the UE 1 , and (ii) in response to determining that one or more of the UE 2 s are transmitting on the same channel, report to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel on which the UE 1 is communicating is currently contaminated.

Plain English Translation

A wireless communication system improves performance in a Massive MIMO network. A first base station (BS1) communicates with a first user device (UE1). Either BS1 or UE1 detects pilot channel interference affecting UE1. When interference is detected, BS1 tells UE1 to stop transmitting during the next pilot signal frame. During that next frame, BS1 checks if any second user devices (UE2) connected to neighboring base stations (BS2) are transmitting on the same channel as UE1's pilot channel. If overlap is found, BS1 reports to the BS2s that UE1's pilot channel is experiencing interference.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BS 2 s are configured to, in response to reporting to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel is currently contaminated, determine that one or more of the UE 2 s are currently communicating with the BS 2 on the same channel as the pilot channel, and allocate a different channel resource to the one or more UE 2 s.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the system where a first base station (BS1) detects pilot channel interference on a first user device (UE1) and reports it to neighboring base stations (BS2), the BS2s receiving the interference report then determine if any of their user devices (UE2s) are currently communicating on the same channel as the affected UE1's pilot channel. If so, the BS2s allocate a different channel resource to those interfering UE2s, mitigating the pilot contamination issue. This frees up the channel for UE1.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BS 1 is further configured to, in lieu of reporting to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel is currently contaminated, allocate a different pilot channel resource to the UE 1 .

Plain English Translation

Instead of reporting pilot channel interference to neighboring base stations (BS2s) when detected on a first user device (UE1) by a first base station (BS1), the BS1 can alternatively allocate a different pilot channel resource to the affected UE1. This avoids notifying neighboring base stations and directly resolves the pilot contamination for UE1 by switching it to an unused channel.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BS 2 s are further configured, in response to reporting to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel is currently contaminated, determine which one of the base stations (BS 1 and BS 2 s) has priority over the pilot channel and allocate different channel resources at all other BSs than the base station having priority over the pilot channel.

Plain English Translation

After a first base station (BS1) reports pilot channel interference affecting a first user device (UE1) to neighboring base stations (BS2s), the system determines which base station (either BS1 or one of the BS2s) has priority over the contaminated pilot channel. Then, all base stations *except* the one with priority reallocate channel resources to their user devices (UE2s) using that channel. This ensures that the base station with priority maintains its communication while resolving interference for others.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BS 1 is further configured to (i) determine that the BS 1 has priority over the pilot channel and (ii) in response to determining that the BS 1 has priority over the pilot channel, report to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel on which the UE 1 is communicating is currently contaminated.

Plain English Translation

In this wireless system, a first base station (BS1), after detecting pilot channel interference for a first user device (UE1), determines if it has priority over the affected pilot channel. Only if BS1 determines it *does* have priority, it then reports to the neighboring base stations (BS2s) that the pilot channel is contaminated. The reporting only occurs if BS1 has the right to use that channel.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the BS 1 is further configured to determine that the BS 1 has no available priority channels for allocating to the UE 1 and (ii) in response to determining that the BS 1 has no available priority channels for allocating to the UE 1 , report to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel on which the UE 1 is communicating is currently contaminated.

Plain English Translation

A first base station (BS1) detects pilot channel interference for a first user device (UE1), determines it has priority over the pilot channel, but *also* determines it has *no* available priority channels to allocate to the affected UE1. Only then, after determining it has priority but cannot internally resolve the conflict, does BS1 report the pilot channel contamination to neighboring base stations (BS2s). This triggers external assistance only when internal options are exhausted.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the UE 1 or the BS 1 is further configured to detect the possible pilot channel contamination of the UE 1 by detecting an increase in one of uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) bit error rate (BER).

Plain English Translation

In the wireless system, the detection of possible pilot channel interference for a first user device (UE1) by either UE1 or its serving first base station (BS1) is performed by detecting an increase in either the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) bit error rate (BER). A higher BER indicates a degraded signal, which can signify pilot channel contamination.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the UE 1 is further configured to detect the increase in downlink BER and transmit notification of the increase in BER to the BS 1 .

Plain English Translation

The system where pilot channel interference is detected by monitoring bit error rate (BER) involves the first user device (UE1) detecting an increase in the *downlink* BER and then transmitting a notification of this BER increase to its serving first base station (BS1). This allows the base station to respond to the problem.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BS 1 is further configured to, in response to determining that no UE 2 s are transmitting on the same channel, increase a power level to the UE 1 .

Plain English Translation

When a first base station (BS1) determines that *no* neighboring user devices (UE2s) are transmitting on the same channel as a first user device (UE1)'s pilot channel, indicating no external pilot contamination, the BS1 increases the power level to the UE1. This improves the signal quality for UE1 when there is no interference.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. A method for improving performance in a MaMi (Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)) communication network, the method comprising: detecting, at one of a first User Equipment (UE 1 ) or a first Base Station (B 51 ) within the communication network, possible pilot channel contamination of UE 1 ; in response to detecting the possible pilot channel contamination, transmitting, from the BS 1 to the UE 1 , a request for the UE 1 to forego transmission during a next frame designated for transmitting a pilot signal; determining, at the BS 1 within the next frame, if one or more second user equipment (UE 2 ) that are communicating with a neighboring second base station (BS 2 ) are transmitting on a same channel as a pilot channel of the UE 1 ; and in response to determining that the one or more UE 2 s are transmitting on the same channel, reporting, by the BS 1 , to the one or more BS 2 s that the pilot channel on which the UE 1 is communicating is currently contaminated.

Plain English Translation

A method for improving performance in a Massive MIMO network involves detecting, either at a first user device (UE1) or its serving first base station (BS1), possible pilot channel interference affecting UE1. If interference is detected, BS1 sends a request to UE1 to stop transmitting during the next pilot signal frame. BS1 then checks if any second user devices (UE2) connected to neighboring base stations (BS2) are transmitting on the same channel as UE1's pilot channel. If overlap is found, BS1 reports to the BS2s that UE1's pilot channel is experiencing interference.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising in response to reporting to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel is currently contaminated, determining, at a BS 2 , that one or more UE 2 s are currently communicating with the BS 2 on the same channel as the pilot channel, and allocating, by the BS 2 , a different channel resource to the one or more UE 2 s.

Plain English Translation

The method where a first base station (BS1) detects pilot channel interference on a first user device (UE1) and reports it to neighboring base stations (BS2), the BS2s receiving the interference report then determine if any of their user devices (UE2s) are currently communicating on the same channel as the affected UE1's pilot channel. If so, the BS2s allocate a different channel resource to those interfering UE2s, mitigating the pilot contamination issue. This frees up the channel for UE1.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising in lieu of reporting to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel is currently contaminated, allocating, by the BS 1 , a different pilot channel resource to the UE 1 .

Plain English Translation

Instead of reporting pilot channel interference to neighboring base stations (BS2s) when detected on a first user device (UE1) by a first base station (BS1), the BS1 can alternatively allocate a different pilot channel resource to the affected UE1. This avoids notifying neighboring base stations and directly resolves the pilot contamination for UE1 by switching it to an unused channel.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising in response to reporting to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel is currently contaminated, determining which one of the base stations (BS 1 and BS 2 s) has priority over the pilot channel and allocating different channel resources at all other BSs than the base station having priority over the pilot channel.

Plain English Translation

After a first base station (BS1) reports pilot channel interference affecting a first user device (UE1) to neighboring base stations (BS2s), the system determines which base station (either BS1 or one of the BS2s) has priority over the contaminated pilot channel. Then, all base stations *except* the one with priority reallocate channel resources to their user devices (UE2s) using that channel. This ensures that the base station with priority maintains its communication while resolving interference for others.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining that the BS 1 has priority over the pilot channel and wherein reporting to the one or more BS 2 s occurs in response to determining that the BS 1 has priority over the pilot channel.

Plain English Translation

In this method, a first base station (BS1), after detecting pilot channel interference for a first user device (UE1), determines if it has priority over the affected pilot channel. Only if BS1 determines it *does* have priority, it then reports to the neighboring base stations (BS2s) that the pilot channel is contaminated. The reporting only occurs if BS1 has the right to use that channel.

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining that the BS 1 has no available priority channels for allocating to the UE 1 and wherein reporting to the one or more BS 2 s occurs in response to determining that the BS 1 has no available priority channels for allocating to the UE 1 .

Plain English Translation

A first base station (BS1) detects pilot channel interference for a first user device (UE1), determines it has priority over the pilot channel, but *also* determines it has *no* available priority channels to allocate to the affected UE1. Only then, after determining it has priority but cannot internally resolve the conflict, does BS1 report the pilot channel contamination to neighboring base stations (BS2s). This triggers external assistance only when internal options are exhausted.

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein detecting possible pilot channel contamination of the UE 1 further comprises detecting, at one of the UE 1 or the BS 1 , an increase in one of uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) bit error rate (BER).

Plain English Translation

In the method, the detection of possible pilot channel interference for a first user device (UE1) by either UE1 or its serving first base station (BS1) is performed by detecting an increase in either the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) bit error rate (BER). A higher BER indicates a degraded signal, which can signify pilot channel contamination.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein detecting the increase in BER further comprises determining that the BER meets or exceeds a predetermined bit error rate threshold.

Plain English Translation

When detecting pilot channel interference by monitoring bit error rate (BER), detecting the increase in BER involves determining that the BER meets or exceeds a predetermined bit error rate threshold. This threshold acts as a trigger for flagging the pilot channel as potentially contaminated.

Claim 18

Original Legal Text

18. A method for improving performance in a MaMi (Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)) communication network, the method comprising: in response to detecting possible pilot channel contamination of first User Equipment (UE 1 ), receiving, at the UE 1 , a request from a first base station (BS 1 ) for the UE 1 to forego transmission during a next frame designated for transmitting a pilot signal; and in response to receiving the request, foregoing, by the UE 1 , transmission of the pilot signal during the next frame, wherein the BS 1 (i) determines within the next frame that one or more second user equipment (UE 2 ), which are communicating with a neighboring second base station (BS 2 ) are transmitting on a same channel as a pilot channel of the UE 1 and (ii) in response to determining that the one or more UE 2 s are transmitting on the same channel, reports to the one or more BS 2 s that the pilot channel on which the UE 1 is communicating is currently contaminated.

Plain English Translation

A method for improving performance in a Massive MIMO network involves, after detecting possible pilot channel contamination for a first user device (UE1), UE1 receiving a request from its serving first base station (BS1) to stop transmitting during the next pilot signal frame. UE1 then stops transmitting as requested. During that next frame, BS1 checks if any second user devices (UE2) connected to neighboring base stations (BS2) are transmitting on the same channel as UE1's pilot channel. If overlap is found, BS1 reports to the BS2s that UE1's pilot channel is experiencing interference.

Claim 19

Original Legal Text

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising in lieu of reporting to the BS 2 s that the pilot channel is currently contaminated, allocating, by the BS 1 , a different pilot channel resource to the UE 1 .

Plain English Translation

Instead of reporting pilot channel interference to neighboring base stations (BS2s) when detected on a first user device (UE1) by a first base station (BS1), the BS1 can alternatively allocate a different pilot channel resource to the affected UE1. This avoids notifying neighboring base stations and directly resolves the pilot contamination for UE1 by switching it to an unused channel.

Claim 20

Original Legal Text

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein detecting possible pilot channel contamination of the UE 1 further comprises detecting, at one of the UE 1 or the BS 1 , an increase in one of uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) bit error rate (BER).

Plain English Translation

In the method, the detection of possible pilot channel interference for a first user device (UE1) by either UE1 or its serving first base station (BS1) is performed by detecting an increase in either the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) bit error rate (BER). A higher BER indicates a degraded signal, which can signify pilot channel contamination.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

Unknown

Publication Date

December 5, 2017

Inventors

Erik Bengtsson

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Cite as: Patentable. “STANDARDIZED INTER-BASE STATION REPORTING OF PILOT CONTAMINATION FOR IMPROVED PILOT RESOURCE RE-USE” (9838933). https://patentable.app/patents/9838933

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STANDARDIZED INTER-BASE STATION REPORTING OF PILOT CONTAMINATION FOR IMPROVED PILOT RESOURCE RE-USE